1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid power systems, and particularly, to a hydraulically powered system which utilizes steam for driving a hydraulic pumping device generating the hydraulic pressure necessary to operate the system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various systems have been disclosed in the prior art such as in the U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,508,298, 2,881,706, 3,135,210, 3,179,056, 3,282,167 and 3,073,108 that comprise pumping devices having pistons that are driven in both directions by a first fluid medium and which, in turn, function to generate fluid under pressure to drive one or more hydraulic motors. None of these patents disclose a system which utilizes steam generated by external combustion for the purpose of driving a hydraulic device while functioning in a low pollution environment yet generating sufficient power to move a vehicle with high efficiency due to a novel means for sensing the load requirements of the vehicle and controlling the output of the steam generator.